Harrison ends first half with stunning INT return

But the Cardinals made a game of it with a nine-play, 83-yard drive that was highlighted by Warner's 45-yard pass to Boldin. Arizona never even got to third down, scoring on Warner's 1-yard pass to Ben Patrick, an unlikely weapon.

It was the first touchdown of the season for the tight end, who's usually confined to blocking while Warner looks to his dynamic duo of Boldin and Fitzgerald. Warner stumbled after the snap, but righted himself in time to throw a pass that was just high enough to get over the hands of Steelers linebacker Larry Foote.

Arizona looked poised for another score after Steve Breaston ripped off a 34-yard punt return to the Pittsburgh 43. But a chop block ruined that drive before it ever got started, the 15-yard penalty knocking the Cardinals back to their side of the field and eventually forcing a punt.

Through three quarters, Arizona had eight penalties for 81 yards, several of them totally unnecessary. More and more, the Cardinals looked like a Super Bowl neophyte, a doormat of a franchise through most of his history and overwhelmed by finally making it to the biggest stage.

Arizona was seeking its first NFL title since 1947 – long before the Super Bowl era – and was the first nine-win team to make the Super Bowl since the Los Angeles Rams 29 years ago.

Warner was 17-of-24 for 153 yards, but he had taken several big hits from the Steelers and the final play of the first half overshadowed all his gutty work.

Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger was 15-of-21 for 162 yards and also had a pass picked off after the ball was deflected at the line. Bryan Robinson got his right hand on it and sent the ball fluttering into the arms of Karlos Dansby.

But that mistake was a mere afterthought after Harrison saved the Steelers at the goal line.

Roethlisberger burned the Cardinals on the opening possession, faking a handoff to the left, then rolling right and finding Hines Ward all alone for a 38-yard pass.

Pittsburgh drove to the 1 and, on third down, Roethlisberger appeared to power his way into the end zone on a scramble to the right, dragging Darnell Dockett along with him.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, a former Steelers assistant, challenged the call, believing the burly quarterback was down before he got to the end zone. The replay appeared to show Pittsburgh center Justin Hartwig pulling Roethlisberger across the goal line, but McAulay ruled the quarterback down at the 1.

Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, only the third black head coach in Super Bowl history, immediately sent Reed onto the field to kick the chip shot, the shortest field goal in a Super Bowl since Roy Gerela of the Steelers punched one through from the same distance in the 1976 game – one of the storied franchise's five Super Bowl titles, tied with Dallas and San Francisco for the most in NFL history.